Study Tip: Map Out Your Ideas

If you didn't already know, I am a senior in college, and this semester I have a course load of six classes. Yes, I said six. I am also naturally lazy, so I keep having to ground myself from various things (ahem, Pinterest and YouTube) so I might actually get something done. 

As I said: I'm lazy. 

Anyways, my favorite way to study is to grab my pen case and some notebook paper and map out the people, ideas, and themes. I tend to group things together by chapter and by color. 

For example, in this class I am learning about the history and culture of Spain. For chapter six, I drew out a map for the four different kings and major events/ideas that occurred during their reign. I assigned a different color to each king/timeframe. 

I find this much easier to read and understand than just a boring page of notes, plus your brain has to organize the information into groups and then you have to physically write it down. Great way to study, no?

Hint: for lots of studying ideas, check out the blog Organized Charm.  It's full of tips that has helped me at the University.

October 2015 General Conference

What I Took to Heart...

It's funny how a major decision can be placed before you right before General Conference weekend. Let's face it; it happens to (probably) most of us...

...and it's amazing what kind of clarity and answers that the Spirit can bring.

What did I get out of this past weekend's General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Ten Ideas:

1. God will hold you up in your times of weakness.
2. Don't let fear keep you from doing something new.
3. You are doing better than you think you are.
4. It will all work out.
5. Get up and go learn something.
6. Center yourself on the Lord and His Gospel. That will help you not to be such a mess [pottery wheel metaphor].
7. Exercise faith in every aspect of your life.
8. Inspire; don't just impress.
9. Small efforts lead to big results.
10. We don't have to be perfect, but we need to be good at getting better.

..and pancakes are always a perfect treat for the Sunday morning session (Larsen family tradition).

Recipe for chocolate chip pancakes can be found here.
I'm not a perfect cook, but I'm learning!

Minimal Makeup Kit

"Happy girls are the prettiest." -Audrey Hepburn

Welcome to my newly-lightened makeup kit. I recently pulled a konmari and tossed out anything that was old, unused, or didn't make me happy.  I spent too much time putting myself together in the morning, just to end up looking like myself.  So why not just be myself?

So here it is: my minimal makeup kit (and I still have all my bases covered for my needs).
[or in the case of the eye shadow palette, beyond covered... I'm thinking about finding a nice duo because for me, twelve colors really is too much...but it is very nice!]

Primer. Concealer. Blush. Eye shadow. Mascara. Lip balm. Lip gloss. Perfect for us fair-skinned ladies.

I am working toward not wearing any makeup on a daily basis. Who knows if that will ever happen? Maybe if I can finally get the science behind skincare figured out...

Welcome to the Doll House!

Making it My Own

A while back, my darling husband bought me the Yuna pattern by BaburuStar that we both thought was so adorable (okay maybe it was just me...)  I came home from work and found the pattern in an e-mail! (Isn't that so sweet?) I very excitedly gathered up my yarn and threw this little girl together.  To my surprise, as I am now understanding how crochet works and can work faster, I finished her in just a matter of hours.  (So much prettier than my other one).

My make of  Yuna from Final Fantasy X.

So, this pattern that my lovely and frugal husband paid for was now used up.  Thus, I figured I could get his money's worth out of it.  I decided that since I now better understand mathematically how 3D crochet works, I figured I could tweak the hair, change the clothes, and make whoever I please.

So stay tuned for my improvised army of dolls inspired by this pattern. Who knows who may appear?

Italian Chicken Rice Pot

In procrastinating doing my homework a while back, I ran across a YouTube video by Laura Vitale for one pot chicken and rice. I have learned that some of the greatest dishes are super simple, and this is definitely one of them. I didn't have all of her ingredients on hand, but I had enough to make a most delicious variation for a college student such as myself.

By the way, this makes a lot food...and I didn't get to eat any of the leftovers!

Italian Chicken and Rice

Inspired by Laura in the Kitchen
I've linked the original video and recipe here if you are interested.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil (or olive oil, etc.)

2 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can tomatoes, diced

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning

2 cups of white rice
3 cups of water + 3 bouillon cubes (chicken-flavored)

[or three cups of broth...]

It's almost easier than Rice-a-Roni, and tastes a lot better.

Instructions:

Heat oil in skillet and cube chicken breasts.  Fry cubes until they start to develop color.
Meanwhile, dice bell pepper.
Add pepper to chicken and fry until color starts to change.  Season with salt and pepper.
Add rice and cook for about a minute to let brown.
Add water, bouillon, can of tomatoes, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and let simmer.
In about twenty five minutes, your yummy chicken and rice should be ready to eat.

This one is sure to be a classic in my house (assuming I ever have not-frozen chicken!)

Finally, I would like to thank Mrs. Vitale for inspiring this wonderful dish.

The Ultimate Spring Cleaning... Book?

A Book that Sparks Joy

Hello, world!

It's that wonderful time of year when our cars are covered in pollen and cleaning supplies are on sale. Three cheers for spring!

Anyways, a book found its way into my life a few weeks ago after my husband found an article about the author in the Wall Street Journal.  He showed me the article and asked if I might be interested in what she had to say.  Well, it more than piqued my interest.

What book was it?

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

How can you resist a title like that?

(I'm a sucker for a clever name and a pretty cover)

I immediately looked up information about this lovely little book and only found positive things.  Plus, decluttering and living in a tidy apartment sounds rather appealing to me, especially as someone who doesn't lift her feet very high when she walks (thus is likely to stumble, knock my shin, or hit my toe...)

This book was lovely.  It introduces the art of tidying by using the systematic KonMari Method to train you in how to thank objects for their service and either appreciate them for longer or let them go give someone else joy.

Kondo's philosophy of tidying leaves you surrounded only by things that make you happy.

Think for a second: how awesome would that be?

Honestly, it sounds pretty appealing.

There is a reason this book is a #1 bestseller.  Check it out for yourself.  Maybe it will even have a side-effect of a clean house.

My closet has already been trimmed down, drawers rearranged and folded nicely, and who knows what will happen to the rest of the house once I find some time...like that will ever happen!

Have you read this book?  What do you think?

Review: Simple Micellar Water

Super Water to the Rescue!

Simple (my favorite skincare brand) has just released an interesting little product: Simple Micellar Cleansing Water.  It claims to cleanse, remove makeup, and hydrate, and THAT, my friends, is exactly what it does.

What is micellar water?  I had absolutely no idea.  After a few minutes on Google, I learned that it is a product of French origin designed to help women cleanse their skin in spite of the hard water in Paris.  An article from Marie Claire explains that little micelles pick up makeup, dirt, and more icky stuff on the skin, and explains it in hydrophilic and hydrophobic terms.  Having just taken a biology class last semester, this made a lot of sense to me.

Basically, you pour the product onto a cotton pad (very important for the science-stuff), and wipe it around your face.  It pulls off the makeup leaving yummy hydration in its place.  It removes eye makeup, you might just need to hold the saturated pad over your eye for a bit. (Don't rub.  It's simply not necessary).  The coolest part- no need to rinse.  Just swipe, and you are done.  No residue.  Just apply moisturizer if you wish.

In the end, you have cleansed skin that is happy to be able to breathe.


This is the first free product that I have ever received, and I was so excited to get it!  It was a complete surprise (I obviously don't pay enough attention to emails) and came with cotton pads (to properly test the product) and travel sizes of a favorite cleanser and moisturizer.  (And really, who doesn't love clean, white packaging?)

I like this product to remove makeup or for a quick pick-me-up cleanse (hello, exercise!)  I find my skin needs a little more love because it is so dry, and needs to be exfoliated.

Overall, this is a nifty little product, and does what it claims to do without smelling horrible, breaking me out, turning me red, etc.  And it saves my wash cloths.  Who likes having makeup colors on their white washcloths?  It's not very attractive on the shelves.

Thus, I would like to thank the French for developing this kind of product, Simple for sending me a sample, and my skin for actually liking it.  Next time you are in the market for a makeup remover, consider giving this one a try.  (Plus, Simple usually has coupons, and CVS likes to do buy one get one 50% off...)

Keeping the Ears Warm

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope you had a wonderful set of holidays... I sure did. Can't beat seeing family and staying some place warm for a few days. A week without internet wasn't bad, either.  Really.

How many Resolutions do you have this year? I haven't written any down, but I do have some goals, including keeping my house spotless...(ha! Like that's ever gonna happen! I'm too lazy.)

I do think I could pay more attention to the blog though. 

I do like to write.

Actually, my goal is to read. Maybe I can share my thoughts on the books I choose.

....

The wintertime is here, hitting harder in some parts of the country than others. (Yep, I'd definitely be here than in Minnesota...) Though some people may assume that Mississippi doesn't get incredibly cold, I'd compare walking around outside to get from place to place with trying to keep your hand submersed in a bowl of icy water...especially in January and February. Ouch. Don't walk around with your mouth open if you have sensitive teeth. It's worse than eating ice cream. 

Thus my newly completed project: a knitted ear warmer. 

Yes, you heard me correctly. Knit. Knit. Knit. 

Two needles. 

[Technically, I did crochet a border on part of it in the pinch]

But yes, knit. 

I received a lovely set of knitting needles, yarn, a stitch encyclopedia, and a fancy yarn bowl for Christmas...and I was obsessed with trying to figure it out until we left Texas. The first hour or so with the needles was quite awkward, but catching on wasn't too difficult. 

Once I got home and back to my beloved yarn stash (and Pinterest!) I grabbed some leftover Lion Brand Wool Ease I purchased last summer in Minnesota and got to work with my Size 10 needles. A few days later, I have warm ears that are (not quite) ready to head back to campus. 

All of the pictures I saw of the headband show the bow-like piece in the front. I'm not much of a bow girl, but I do like to rock a ponytail (since my hair is so fluffy) and the pinched bit workes perfectly at the bottom of the back of the head. 

Hopefully I will get to share some more knitting and crochet projects with you this year (and other fun things I might get myself into.)

P. S. I really dislike cold weather.